Foreign influence contributed to the development of
cloisonné during the early fourteenth to fifteenth century in China. The
earliest securely dated Chinese cloisonné is from the reign of the Ming Xuande
emperor (1426–35). However, cloisonné is recorded during the previous Yuan dynasty, and
it has been suggested that the technique was introduced to China at that time
via the western province of Yunnan, which, under Mongol rule, received an influx
of Islamic people. A very few cloisonné objects have been dated on stylistic
grounds to the Yongle reign (1403–24) of the early Ming dynasty.
Cloisonné is the technique of creating designs on metal vessels
with colored-glass paste placed within enclosures made of copper or bronze
wires, which have been bent or hammered into the desired pattern. Known as
cloisons (French for "partitions"), the enclosures generally are either pasted
or soldered onto the metal body.
The glass paste, or enamel, is colored with metallic oxide and painted into the contained areas of the design. The vessel is usually fired at a relatively low temperature, about 800°C. Enamels commonly shrink after firing, and the process is repeated several times to fill in the designs. Once this process is complete, the surface of the vessel is rubbed until the edges of the cloisons are visible. They are then gilded, often on the edges, in the interior, and on the base.
Cloisonné objects were intended primarily for the furnishing of temples and palaces, because their flamboyant splendor was considered appropriate to the function of these structures but not well suited to a more restrained atmosphere, such as that of a scholar's home. This opinion was expressed by Cao Zhao (or Cao Mingzhong) in 1388 in his influential Gegu Yaolun (Guide to the Study of Antiquities), in which cloisonné was dismissed as being suitable only for lady's chambers.
However, by the period of Emperor Xuande, this ware came to be greatly prized at court.
With thanks to The Met
Top picture:
Dish with scalloped rim, Ming dynasty, early 15th century
China
Cloisonné; Diam. 6 in. (15.2 cm)
Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift, 1993 (1993.338)
Bottom picture credit:
Tianjinshirun International.
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The glass paste, or enamel, is colored with metallic oxide and painted into the contained areas of the design. The vessel is usually fired at a relatively low temperature, about 800°C. Enamels commonly shrink after firing, and the process is repeated several times to fill in the designs. Once this process is complete, the surface of the vessel is rubbed until the edges of the cloisons are visible. They are then gilded, often on the edges, in the interior, and on the base.
Cloisonné objects were intended primarily for the furnishing of temples and palaces, because their flamboyant splendor was considered appropriate to the function of these structures but not well suited to a more restrained atmosphere, such as that of a scholar's home. This opinion was expressed by Cao Zhao (or Cao Mingzhong) in 1388 in his influential Gegu Yaolun (Guide to the Study of Antiquities), in which cloisonné was dismissed as being suitable only for lady's chambers.
However, by the period of Emperor Xuande, this ware came to be greatly prized at court.
With thanks to The Met
Top picture:
Dish with scalloped rim, Ming dynasty, early 15th century
China
Cloisonné; Diam. 6 in. (15.2 cm)
Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift, 1993 (1993.338)
Bottom picture credit:
Tianjinshirun International.
Some other posts on Art:
Van Gogh On Dark Water Animation
This Fake Rembrandt Was Created By An Algorithm
Fore-edge Painting: Artists Hide Paintings Along The Edges Of Old Books
Insanely Realistic Pencil Drawings
Found: A Missing Paul Gauguin Painting
Royal Academy of British Art Coming To Town
Australia and the UK Battle Over Historic Paintings Of A Kangaroo And A Dingo
Finally: A Digital Home For Lost Masterpieces
America: "Painting a Nation" Exhibition in Art Gallery of NSW
Chauvet Cave Paintings: Cave Women Left Their Artistic Mark
London exhibition of Australian art holds up a mirror to our nation: more iconic images
500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art
Some Fascinating Pictures featuring Alyssa Monks
Visual Art of the Human Body by Cecelia Webber
Ronnie Wood: His Art and The Rolling Stones
The lost Van Gogh: Painting found in Norwegian attic is confirmed as priceless work by Dutch master
Market Find Turns Out To Be A Lost Faberge Egg
Charles Dellschau: Secrets of An Undiscovered Visionary Artist
Tom Pinch: Time - Lapse Portraits of Paul McCartney and John Lennon
How JMW Turner Set Painting Free
The Curious Case Of The Renaissance Cockatoo
Images On Andy Warhol’s Old Computer Discs Excite University Students
Human Ingenuity: From the Renaissance to the Age of the Internet - The Sistine Chapel
Katsushika Hokusai: Japanese Artist
Picasso's "Women of Algiers" Breaks Auction Record
Looted Treasures Open Door To The Dark Nazi Past
Long-lost Caravaggio Masterpiece Found In French Attic
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